Porsche’s iconic rear-engine sports car introduced in 1964 is the Porsche 911.
The model first appeared publicly at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show as the Porsche 901, designed as the successor to the four-cylinder 356. Before production began, Peugeot objected to Porsche’s use of three-digit model names with a zero in the middle, so Porsche changed the name to 911. Series production started in September 1964.
The original 911 used an air-cooled, rear-mounted, 2.0-litre flat-six engine producing 130 PS and could reach about 210 km/h. Its rear-engine layout, distinctive shape, and practical 2+2 seating helped distinguish it from the front-engine Porsche 924, 928, and 944, which arrived later and belong to a different design family.
The 911’s engineering evolved substantially over the decades. Porsche introduced the Targa in 1967, the turbocharged 911 Turbo in 1974, and later water-cooled generations. Despite those changes, the model’s rear-engine identity remained central to its character and made “911” one of the best-known names in sports-car history.